All, the fourth quarter version of The TEXAS CAVER has been posted to the Members Area by our very own near and dear and recuperating web extraordinaire, Butch Fralia. This is a smaller issue than the third quarter 64 page Mega ICS TC (Heck, the TSA would be bankrupt if every issue was 64 pages!), but is special, nevertheless. In this issue: We have some excellent trip reports and photos from Justin and Kurt Menking and their recent explorations and from our new 2010 Vice Chair, Ellie Thoene, on her Amazing Maze trip.
There are articles and photos from the post ICS party for Chris Nicola and Barb McLeod from Bill Steele and Lyndon Tiu, a photo collage of TCR pix taken by David Ochel and moi in the inside cover, and another entertaining "Carbide Corner" from Mark Minton. Finally, I was fortunate enough to have received some excellent older photos of Ed Alexander sent in by James Jasek and some touching and very special photos sent in of Ed and his family taken by Frank Binney. This last issue of the TC for 2009 is available to all TSA members. Not a TSA member? No problem! We still would like for you to contemplate becoming a TSA member. Send me an email for your complimentary past issue of the TEXAS CAVER and see what you've been missing. Visit the TSA website at www.cavetexas.org and become a paid member and/or become an online member of the TSA. If you're a TSA member, but haven't yet joined the Digital Revolution, it is extremely painless to do so. Go to http://www.cavetexas.org/members/ and sign up and enjoy the current and back issues! Please remember to select how you want your TC: mail or digital. Be sure to also peruse the back issues of the TEXAS CAVER, if you haven't done so already. There now are a total of 17 issues of the Pulitzer worthy TEXAS CAVER available for your reading pleasure! You can still opt to receive a hard copy TC, but will have to wait a couple of weeks, at the earliest, to receive your latest newsletter via snail mail. The Members Area continues to expand very well and we currently have grown to 86 members, with 48 opting to receive their TC digitally. This is a substantial savings to the TSA and has helped us manage to stay in the black this year! Finally, I want to thank all of the cavers who submitted material for this issue and all of the past issues of The TEXAS CAVER. This is YOUR newsletter and I couldn't do it without YOU! So as the caving season starts in earnest, don't be bashful. Be sure to get those articles, photos, and trip reports written and sent in. Without you, there is no TSA or TEXAS CAVER! Thanks! Mark Alman - TSA Chairman and TEXAS CAVER Editor
